Commute Options on Friday

BART’s website lists the following announcement on options tomorrow, stressing that BART will run limited charter buses.

BART’s unions have called for a strike for Friday October 18th. We urge Bay Area residents to plan ahead. Whether you ride BART, use other public transit services or drive, everyone needs to consider the alternatives and plan your commute. For a summary of all transit options, carpool rideshare locations and traffic conditions, click here.

Here are some other alternatives:

Limited Charter Bus Service Offered by BART

BART’s contingency plan includes offering very limited bus service during the peak commute periods. Although BART is deploying limited bus service, it only has the capabilities to serve about 6,000 passengers each day, in each direction, depending upon traffic, which is a far cry from our normal 400,000 passenger load. BART will provide limited round-trip charter bus service at no charge:

From El Cerrito del Norte, West Oakland, Concord, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Dublin/Pleasanton, San Leandro, Hayward, and Fremont stations directly into San Francisco from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and back from a stop near the San Francisco Transbay Terminal (loading zone located at Howard Street between Fremont Street and Beale Street) from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. BART will have 5-15 buses at each station during the weekday.

While the West Oakland station is a pick-up location in the morning, other buses will not transfer at West Oakland during the morning commute into San Francisco. In other words, all morning service is DIRECT to San Francisco; you can’t get to West Oakland in the morning from the outer stations. In addition, while the morning hours begin at 5 a.m., they may end early if the buses become full earlier. Most buses will transfer at West Oakland during the afternoon/evening commute. Please consult bart.gov after 3 p.m. for an update on charter bus service for the following day.

In the event there is a strike over the weekend, BART will offer limited round-trip direct service into San Francisco from these same nine stations in the morning and then back in the afternoon/evening on Saturday from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m.-11 a.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. BART will have three buses at each station during the weekend.

Wheelchair-accessible vans will be available at these same nine stations.

This service will operate in the commute direction only. That means buses will go to San Francisco in the morning and to the East Bay in the evening for round-trip ticket holders only. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis in the morning at these nine stations. People without those round-trip tickets from the morning will not be allowed to board in San Francisco to return to the East Bay in the afternoon/evening. This means, if you join a casual carpool in the morning and you do not have a round-trip ticket, you will not be able to board an East Bay-bound charter bus in the afternoon/evening. Please consult bart.gov after 3 p.m. for an update on charter bus service for the following day.

Additional transit service to Oakland and other East Bay locations will be offered by other Bay Area transit agencies. For a complete rundown of transit alternatives, click here.

Adjusting Work Hours

Employers are encouraged to offer flexible schedules or other work arrangements during a BART strike. Workers are urged to ask their employer about adjusting work hours to avoid commuting during peak traffic periods.

Telecommuting

Ask your employer about working from home during some of the time you’d normally be in the office.

Carpooling

Join a carpool or temporary van pool and take advantage of expanded “High-Occupancy Vehicle” (HOV) lanes. During a strike, all BART parking lots at 33 stations will be available at no charge for use by carpools. Please note BART parking lot elevators will not be operational because of the strike. Get more information on carpooling including a list of carpool lanes and other Park and Ride lots on your commute route. Casual carpoolers please note: if you join a casual carpool in the morning, you will not be able to board an East Bay- bound bus in the afternoon/evening, only round-trip ticket holders can board the limited charter buses.

Taking Alternate Routes

Check drive times at 511.org before you leave home or work. Get FasTrak to minimize your wait at the tollbooth.

Bike

The East Bay and San Francisco bike coalitions have biking resources in the event of a strike. Click here and here for details.

The BART Transit Information Center will be taking phone calls from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the duration of any disruption. We encourage customers to call 511 for alternative routes, but BART staff will be available to provide any assistance they can.

The BART website is your best online source of official, accurate information about BART service. Sign up for official BART news updates to receive the latest. For information about BART labor negotiations, click here.